Looking for natural morning sickness remedies? Read on to find out what has worked for me!
If you’ve ever been pregnant, I think you can agree with me when I say that I don’t know why they call it morning sickness. If it were up to me, it would be called all-day sickness, am I right? But whatever you call it, it’s still the same set of symptoms: headaches, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, and just an all around yucky feeling.
Around 3 out of 4 women will experience nausea during the first trimester of pregnancy, and about half of those will start to feel relief at around 14 weeks. Raise your hand if you’re one of the “3 out of 4 women!” Yeah, thought so. I still haven’t met that 4th woman, but apparently she exists somewhere…
During my first pregnancy, I was a miserable, nauseous mess for the first trimester, and my family can vouch for that! I spent the whole time on the couch, and ate nothing but bagels, bananas, and banana milk shakes (the 3 B’s?). Thankfully, there was barely any vomiting involved, but looking back, I think that probably would’ve helped things a bit.
This time around, I knew I had to do things differently. The second I found out I was pregnant (and before morning sickness started setting in), I did loads of research on all the best ways to treat those nasty symptoms so I could try to stop them in their tracks.
However, my morning sickness this time wasn’t just from nausea. No, this time, I had a lingering indigestion feeling for literally 3 months straight! No matter how much or how little I ate, or the time of day I had my meals, I always felt like my last bite was always stuck at the top of my throat. Such a terrible feeling that I was not prepared for!
Now that I’m halfway through this pregnancy, and way over the morning sickness hump (good riddance!), I thought I’d share a few of the morning sickness remedies that I used this time around to try and keep myself healthy and sane for those first few months.
Top 5 Natural Morning Sickness Remedies
Lemon Water – Everyday started (and still does!) with a glass of room temperature water with a quarter lemon wedge squeezed into it. This is the first thing I had in the morning before eating or drinking anything else – not necessarily the whole thing all at once, but I took at least a few sips on an empty stomach before eating my banana. I also wrote about the health benefits of lemon water in the morning a few months ago.- Ginger – Ginger tea is great at curbing nausea and settling an upset stomach. You can either use ginger tea bags or make your own tea at home by slicing some ginger root and adding it to boiling water, allowing it to boil for about 5 minutes. Then, cool and strain, then add some raw honey to taste. I also love the chewable ginger candies from GinGins. They’re great for fast relief and they taste great! If you’re into the whole “ginger ale and crackers” routine like I sometimes do, make sure you buy organic crackers with a short list of ingredients, and an all natural ginger ale like Blue Sky Ginger Ale. You can also try this yummy looking recipe for Ginger Lemon Orangeade from Kids In the Kitchen!
- Papaya Enzymes – This was a new one for me, but with the unbelievable indigestion I was experiencing, I’m so glad I found out about this! Taking papaya enzyme tablets before or after meals helps your stomach produce digestive enzymes to aid in digestion. These tablets are chewable and actually taste pretty yummy. You can also try eating half a grapefruit before your meals, which will do the same thing, but I’m not a big grapefruit fan. 🙁
Peppermint – Peppermint has antispasmodic properties that help relieve the indigestion that comes along with nausea. A nice cup of peppermint tea can work wonders. My favorite way to use peppermint is by putting a few drops of peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball and sniffing it for fairly fast nausea relief. You can also massage a few drops right onto your temples to help get rid of headaches. Buy essential oils here or here.- Vitamin B6 – No one knows exactly why, but vitamin B6 has been shown to effectively ease the nausea associated with pregnancy. Most prenatal vitamins don’t contain enough of this important vitamin, so you can either supplement with a B6 tablet or try to get it through food sources. I’m not big on supplements unless they’re absolutely necessary, so I make sure my diet includes lots of B6-rich foods like beans, nuts, bananas, and avocado.
BONUS: A good, whole-foods based Prenatal Vitamin
I can’t stress enough the importance of a good prenatal vitamin. The one I took during my first pregnancy was absolutely awful and had me feeling terrible no matter when or how I took it. I eventually stopped taking it and tried my very best to get the most out of my diet. This time, I consulted some of my natural mamma friends and have been so pleased with their recommendation of the Rainbow Light Prenatal One vitamins. It’s just one tablet taken with or between meals, and goes down easily without making me queasy afterwards. If your prenatal vitamin is too harsh (probably because of high iron content), try taking it at night before going to sleep.
More Helpful Tips
Along with the remedies discussed above, there are some other tips that should be followed to ensure that you’re not making your morning sickness even worse. Following these tips along with the other morning sickness remedies are vital to having a healthier pregnancy and maintaining some bout of sanity through that difficult first trimester.
- Keep some snacks near your bed so you can eat something before getting up in the morning. Then get up slowly about 20 minutes later.
- Don’t put off breakfast! The hungrier you get, the more intense your nausea.
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals to maintain blood sugar levels. High protein foods are best for easing nausea.
- Drink liquids between meals, not during. You don’t want to dilute the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which eases digestion.
- Avoid sugar, spicy foods, and greasy foods.
- Some women have found relief from acupressure wrist bands, though I haven’t tried them myself.
- Get some fresh air. It may take a little effort to actually get up, but once you’re outside in the sun, it’s totally worth it!
- Make sure to get some rest! Try to take a nap (or at least lay down and put your feet up) everyday.
- Stay hydrated! Make sure you’re constantly drinking water throughout the day. Coconut water is also very healthy and soothing for the stomach. Avoid caffeinated drinks and sodas which can be dehydrating and affect the body’s ability to absorb certain vitamins and minerals.
More Resources
All Natural Arsenal for Morning Sickness – Little House Living
Tips for Surviving Morning Sickness – Super Mommy
Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness – Accidentally Green
Hi Sarah! This article is one-of-its-kind as it helps pregnant women suffering from morning sickness. This quick guide on pregnancy can really help a lot of pregnant women out there. I am wondering if you could give aspiring mothers an idea on the chances of getting pregnant naturally.
Hi Sarah! This article is one-of-its-kind as it helps pregnant women suffering from morning sickness. This quick guide on pregnancy can really help a lot of pregnant women out there. I am wondering if you could give aspiring mothers an idea on the chances of getting pregnant naturally.